City hero who played Cup final with broken neck awarded OBE

Bert Trautmann, the Manchester City goalkeeper who famously played the final stages of the 1956 FA Cup final with a broken neck, has been awarded an honorary OBE.

Mr Trautmann, 82, who is being honoured for his work to improve British-German relations, has been recognised by the Queen ahead of her state visit to Germany next week.

Trautmann's signing for Man City in 1949 caused consternation among supporters as he fought for Germany on the Russian front in WWII. After being captured by the British in 1945, he was interned in a PoW camp at Ashton, near Manchester where he showed his skills in football matches between camps.

After the war, he played for St Helens Town, before joining Manchester City – and helping City take the Cup 3-1 in that memorable match. He went on to become the first foreign "Footballer of the Year". Trautmann played his last game for the club in 1964, when 60,000 fans turned out for his testimonial.

Mr Trautmann will be a guest of The Queen at a Reception and Gala Concert at the Berlin Philharmonie on 3 November. He will be joined that evening by the current Arsenal goalkeeper, Jens Lehman, who is following in Trautmann's footsteps as a German goal-keeping star plying his trade in English football.

Even at the age of 82, Trautmann has not finished his work for UK-German reconciliation. He has just launched a new body; the Trautmann Foundation, aimed a promoting British-German understanding through football.

Bert Trautmann will be invested as an honorary OBE (Officer of the British Empire) by the British Ambassador, Sir Peter Torry, at the British Embassy on the 1 November.

13 November 2014
Birmingham City Council Reveal 20-Year City Plan
A new £4 billion transport plan for Birmingham has been revealed by the city's council. The 20-year Birmingham Connected scheme proposes three tram lines for the city, a high-speed bus route, the reopening of rail lines and the construction of two new stations.

07 February 2006
British troops sent to riot-hit Afghan city
British troops have been sent to a town in Afghanistan where riots are continuing over the publication of cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad. The troops were sent to an airfield in the northwestern town of Meymaneh, after a mob tried to storm a NATO peacekeeping base.

02 July 2008
Blues Boss Denies Sex Allegations
The co-owner of Birmingham City Football Club has "categorically denied" an alleged sexual assault on a woman in Essex. Birmingham City Football Club said in a statement that David Sullivan, 59, of Essex, voluntarily attended a police station on Tuesday following the allegation.

03 April 2003
British consulate bombed in Turkey
It has been reported that British consulate in the Turkish capital, Istanbul, has been targeted in a bomb attack. Initial reports suggest that a bomb was hurled at the building at around 9.30pm (GMT) last night - at around the time of the final whistle in the England football victory over Turkey.

17 June 2014
British Social Attitudes Report: 'True British' Must Speak English
The 31st NatCen Social Research British Social Attitudes survey of 3,000 people shows UK citizens have harder attitudes over immigration, welfare or the requirements which make a person British. 95% of them found that it is important to speak English to be "truly" British, up from a 86% in 2003.

13 October 2015
Investigation Launched Into Manchester City Centre Fire
An investigation has been launched into the cause of a fire at a seven-storey building in Manchester city centre. Firefighters were called to the former CWS building near Victoria railway station at about 17:30 on Monday. It is believed the fire broke out in the buildings roof space.

16 April 2014
Manchester City Players The Best Paid In Global Sport
Manchester City football players are the best paid team in global sport, according to a report by Sportingintelligence.com, which says that the Premier League team pay an annual average wage of £5.337m to its first-team players, who earns as much as £102.653 per week.

30 November 2012
Manchester City Council To Cut 900 Posts
Manchester City Council is to axe up to 900 jobs. The authority confirmed the cuts as it attempts to save around £80m over the next two years in reaction to the £170m gov funding cuts introduced last year.

13 January 2011
Manchester City Council To Cut 2,000 Jobs
Due to government spending cuts, Manchester City Council are to cut 2,000 jobs. After changes to local authority grants left a huge hole in the Labour-run council's finances, a 17% reduction in the workforce will need to be implemented. Between now and 2012, officers will need to “quickly” find £110m of savings, £60m more than expected last year.

30 April 2007
Major fire causes disruption in Manchester city centre
A major fire has destroyed a five-storey office building in Manchester, spreading to a second building. The fire broke out on Dale Street around 5:55am on Monday morning. It is understood that the initial fire has been brought under control, but the building is now in danger of collapsing.

27 November 2014
Inter City Railways Scoops East Coast Franchise
The Government has awarded its East Coast franchise to Inter City Railways, a consortium of Stagecoach and Virgin. Rail journeys between London and Edinburgh will be transformed by more seats, more services and new trains.

08 May 2013
Sir Alex Ferguson To Retire
Manchester United has confirmed Sir Alex Ferguson is to retire as manager. He has been manager of the club for 26 years. In a statement, the 71-year-old said: "The decision to retire is one that I have thought a great deal about and one that I have not taken lightly. It is the right time.

14 September 2012
Former City Trader Stands Trial For £1.4bn Loss
A former City trader, accused of causing the largest unauthorised trading loss in British history, will stand trail later today. 32-year-old Kweku Adoboli of Whitechapel, east London, was arrested last September shortly after the UBS bank announced losses of £1.4bn at its London office.

22 March 2004
13 British soldiers injured in Iraq blasts
Thirteen British soldiers have been injured in two bomb blasts in Basra, it has been reported today. According to the BBC, none of the men is believed to have suffered life-threatening injuries during the incidents which in the southern Iraqi city occurred this morning. The soldiers have been evacuated to the Shaibah military hospital.